Growing up with smokers may cause lasting lung damage (CNN)

By Anne Harding

Adults who were exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke during childhood have lungs that look different on CT scans from those of people who grew up in a smoke-free environment, a new study suggests.

Specifically, their lungs have slightly more, and larger, emphysema-like "holes" than those with less smoke exposure, says Gina Lovasi, M.P.H., Ph.D., of Columbia University, and her colleagues. Although breathing tests showed that the smoke-exposed lungs were functioning just fine, Lovasi said the changes could signal an increased vulnerability to developing emphysema and other lung problems down the road. Health.com: Should smoking around kids be illegal?

Emphysema is a progressive lung disease characterized by shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, and weight loss. About 24 million people in the United States have emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis, which together are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however about half of those people don't realize they have COPD.

The lung condition is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States, and smoking is a major cause of COPD. Health.com: I'm a nonsmoker, but I have emphysema due to a rare genetic condition

"The interesting part about this is that we don't know a lot about how the lungs change over time and whether they heal completely after being exposed to tobacco," says Lovasi, who is scheduled to present her findings on Tuesday at the American Thoracic Society's 105th International Conference in San Diego. "We can still see a difference even decades later."
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/20/second.hand.smoke.kids.lungs/index.html

"Although breathing tests showed that the smoke-exposed lungs were functioning just fine, Lovasi said the changes could signal an increased vulnerability to developing emphysema and other lung problems down the road."


My siblings and I tend to get more complications after a cold. I test with good lung volume, but unless I use an inhaler, I end up with a lot of coughing.


I wonder about lingering effects from air pollution for those of us who grew up in the old steel towns?

I grew up in Detroit... near the River Rouge foundry. A double whammy.

I always figure my parents ensured I wouldn't smoke... winter day in Michigan, both smoking, windows have to be up. A fucking Smoke-0ut! Gaaaaak!!

Turns out they may have left me a little present... a time bomb in my chest.

I don't mean to stir up the usual kerfuffle about smoking on DU, but smokers really need to search their hearts on this one.